Reed positioning mechanism for terry looms



Aug. 2, 1960 w. L. MCHARGUE REED POSITIONING MECHANISM FOR TERRY LOOMS Filed Jan. 13 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 R O W A E V m WILLIAM L. MCHARGUE ATTORNEYS Aug. 2, 1960 w. L. MCHARGUE REED POSITIONING MECHANISM FOR TERRY LOOMS Filed Jan. 13, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WILLIAM L. MCHARGUIE BY M gag/2 United States Patent p REED POSITIONING MECHANISM FOR TERRY LOOMS William L. McHargue, Fairfax, Ala., assignor to West 9 Point Manufacturing Company, West Point, Ga., a corporation of Georg Filed Jan. 13, 1959, sex; No. 786,638

4 Claims. (1139-21 This invention relates to terry looms, and more specifically to improved means for positioning the reed of a terry loom. In looms of this type the reed is customarily pivotally mounted so that it may be positioned forwardly or rearwardly upon predetermined beat-up strokes of the lay, producing either full or partial beat-up of the filling. The .reed may be pivoted to the desired position by mechanism which selectively arrests its forward movement during a beat-up stroke of the lay. A principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism for thus positioning the reed of a terry loom.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an Another object of this invention is to provide an im- ;proved reed positioning mechanism in which impact and :shock loading is confined to simple and sturdy elements,

:and isolated from cams, bearings and other expensive elements. Still further objects will be in part evident and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention and the novel features thereof may best be made clear in the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the lay of a terry loom in full beat-up position, in which many of the parts are indicated schematically, showing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in association there with;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of the latch and rod head seen in Figure 1, showing the latch in non-engaging position; 1

"Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the lay of Figure 1 in partial beat-up position, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged side view of the latch and rod head seen in Figure 3, showing the latch in engaging position.

Referring to Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, the numeral indicates the frame of a terry loom, having the usual lay 12, including a lay bar 14, pivotally connected by lay swords 16 to a shaft 118 at the bottom of the loom.

It will be noted that corresponding parts on opposite sides of the loom have been given the same numeral in the drawings. Where this is done, the parts will be identical in operation and construction, except opposite hand where appropriate.

Pivotally connected to lay 12 about an axis 20 is a frame 22, including a reed cap 24, lower back stay 26, and connecting members 28. A reed G0 is mounted within frame 22 for movement therewith.

At each side of the lay 12 are identical toggle mechanism-s 32 which immediately control the position of reed frame 22 about axis 20. Each mechanism has a toggle link 34 pivoted as at 36 to the reed frame 22, and pivot-ally connected as at 38 to a lever 40. Lever 40 is itself pivoted at 42 to a block '44 secured to lay sword 16. Attached to 2,947,327 Patented Aug. 2, 1960 a rearwardly extending arm 46 of lever 40 is a tension spring 48, which is fastened at its lower end to lay sword 16. On the forward side of pivot 42, as at 50, a rod 52 is pivotally secured to lever 40 and extends downwardly therefrom.

If rod 52 is unrestrained during a forward oscillation of lay 12, spring 48 will maintain toggle mechanism 32 unbroken. .Reed frame 22 will be held forward on the lay, and full beat-up will be effected. Restraint ofrod 52 during a forward oscillation of the lay will break the toggle 32, pivoting reed frame 22 rearwardly, and producing partial beat-up.

The mechanism described to this point is of a type well known in the art, and forms no part of the present invention. The present invention pertains to improved means for selectively arresting the movement of rod 52, and will now be described.

As best seen in Figures 2 and 4, secured to the lower end of rod 52 is a rod head 54. For purposes to be explained hereinafter, rod head-54 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 56, and a notch 58 in its lower exterior surface.

Rigidly affixed to the loom frame .10 in proximity to rod head 54 is a mounting plate 60, which has a diagonally extending slot 62 therethrough. A stud 64 is slidably mounted within slot 62, so that its position can be fixed longitudinally of slot 62 by an adjusting screw 66.

The length of stud 64 is such that one end thereof projects beyond the inner face of plate 60. Pivotally secured to the projecting end of stud 64 is a latch 68 of a shape complementary to notch 58 on rod head 54.

Rod head 54 is restricted to a generally reciprocatory path adjacent latch 68 by a second stud 70 mounted upon plate 60 and extending through the slot 56 in rod head 54.

When latch 68 is in its downward pivotal position, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, rod head 54 will not be engaged thereby, and toggle mechanism 32 will not be broken. In the upward pivoted position seen in Figures 3 and 4, however, latch 68 will arrest rod head 54 as lay 12 oscillates forwardly. Toggle mechanism 32 will accordingly be broken, and the reed frame 22 pivoted rearwardly about axis 20, causing partial beat-up.

The degree of pivoted displacement of reed frame 22 during a partial beat-up stroke may be varied by changing the position in slot'62 of latch mounting stud 64 by means of adjusting screw 66. Thus, when stud 64 is fixed in its lowermost position in slot 62, latch 68' engages rod head 54 relatively soon after lay 12 commences a forward stroke. Relative movement between rod 52 and lay 12 is therefore great, and the pivotal displacement of reed frame 22 is maximum. Similarly, upward adjustment of stud 64 in slot 62 would cause a smaller pivotal dis placement of reed frame 22, for lay 112 would be approaching its forwardmost position before latch 68 engaged head 54.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 3, the means for pivoting latch 68 into and out of rod head-engaging position includes a stud or cam shaft 72 and a rocker shaft 74, mounted parallel to one another in suitable bearings (not shown) upon loom frame 10 behind lay 12.

Stud shaft 72 is driven by the regular loom bottom shaft (not shown) in such a manner that its rotation is correlated to beat-up strokes of lay 1-2. A face cam 76, having a high dwell area 78, is secured to stud shaft 72 for rotation therewith.

During the weaving of terry fabric, face cam 76 is engaged by a follower 80 secured to the outer end of a cam lever 82 affixed to rocker shaft 74. By virtue of this cam arrangement, the regular rotative motion of stud shaft 72 causes oscillation of lever 82, and a periodic rocking of shaft 74.

3 Also aflixed to-shaft 74, and oscillating in response to its rocking movement, is an L-shaped lever 84. The

outer end of lever :84 is loosely attached to a rod 86, which extends forwardly in a generally horizontal plane to a pivoted connection -Withlatch- 68. aRoohing movement of shaft 7 4 is thus --transmitted -through lever 84 and rod "8.6 to latch 68, causing it to pivot into and out of headengaging'position.

When a plain weave is desired, rocker shaft 14 may be displaced in clockwise direction (referring to tFigure 3), whereby it is disassociated from cam 7.6. T his is accomplished automatically by t-he riseand-fall of atransmitting lever 88, as controlled by risers or earns 30 on the main pattern chain '82, the lever 88 acting :through an 'appropriate linkage 94 on a lever -96 secured to -rocl .er shaft 74. With rocker shaft 74 so displaced and held by lever 96, :latch 68=is maintained inned-engaging position, producing continuous full beat-up. a

The operation ofthe mechanism is as follows:

Assuming a so-called three "pick terry fabric is being woven, the driving connection between-stud shaft 72 and the conventional loom bottom shaft (not shown) would be such as to cause one complete rotation of the former for every three beats of lay 12, and high dwell 78 would cover not more than onethird the periphery ,of face cam 76. When high dwell 78 is rotated to thepositionseen in Figure =1, cam lever 82 is I oscillated upwardly, displacing shaft This produces a corresponding movement of lever 84, which moves-rod 86 forwardly in the direction of latch 68, pivoting the latch downwardly to the position illustrated so that rod head 54 will not be engaged. With rod 52 thus unrestrained, reed frame 22 is maintained in a forward position on lay -12, and full beat-up isieffected.

As cam 76 continues to rotate with stud shaft 72, the dwell 78 moves from beneath cam follower 8%, permitting lever 82 to oscillate downwardly. A corresponding downward movement is produced in lever 84 by theroc king of shaft 74. Rod 86 is thereby moved rearwardly, pivoting latch .68 into-the-position seenin Figure 3, where it engages red head 54 as the lay oscillates forwardly. The consequent arresting of rod 5 2 acts through toggle mechanism 32 to pivot reed frame 22 about axis 20, and partial beat-up results.

It will be noted that practically all impact loading caused by the arresting of rod head 54-is confined to latch 68, and none is transmitted to the mechanism controlling the latch position. a minimum of wear is incurred by cam 76 and follower =80, which greatly lengthens their useful life. Similarly, any tendency for lovers 82 or '84 to shift their positions on'rockershaft '74 is lessened, since no impact loadis transmitted to or through these members.

It will thus the seen that there has been provided by this invention a structure in which the various objects hereinbefore set forth, together with many practical advantages, are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments may be-made of the mechanical features of the above invention, all without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter *hereinb efore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

That which is claimed is: i

, stricting said head toageperglly .regiprocatory path adjacent said plate, a slot disposed in said plate parallel to the path of saidzhead,a second stud.adjustably positioned in said slot, .a latch pivotally mounted 9n said second stud and positioned and adapted for'selective-engagement with said eat an :isslas a 1a necessit rocker shaft for pivoting the latch into and out of head engaging position.

2. In a terry loom having a lay, a reed pivotally mounted on said lay, and a toggle mechanism connected to said reed; .a (rod pivotally connected to and extending from said .toggle mechanism, .a notched :head .engaged do said rod at a point spaced from its pivotalrconnection :to said toggle mechanism, .a plate member rigidly mounted on the loom, a latch pivotally mounted on said .plate and positioned and adapted for selective engagement with said head, guide means on said ,plate member restricting said head to a generally reciprocatory path adjacent said latch, control means for selectively pivoting said latch into and out of head engaging position, adjusting means for varying the position of the :latch mounting on said plate,

path pf said 1116311, and said latch mounting iisreceived within and adjustable longitudinally .of said :slot.

3'. In aiterry :loomhavinga day, areedipivotal'ly mounted on said lay, and a toggle mechanism connected tosaid reed; a rod pivotally connected-to .andextending from said toggle mechanism, -a notched ahead engaged :to said rod at a point spaced from its pivotal connection to said toggle mechanism, a plate member rigidly mounted on the m, a latch pivotally mounted .on said plate and positioned and adapted -for selective engagement with said 't'head, guide means on said plate member restricting said head to a generally reciprocatory path adjacent said latch, e511- trol means for selectively pivoting said latch into and out of head engaging position, said control vmeans:including a continuously rotating .cam shaft and a rocker actuated by said cam shaft, and means for disassociating the rocker shaft from the cam shaft iwhen plain weaving V is .toabe done.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 including ainain pattern chain, .and wherein said means for .disa'ssociating the rocker shaft from the .cam shaft is actuated by said i 1. In a terry loom having a lay, a reed pivotally mountwax; 

